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The Means of a Good Educational Leadership

The Means of a Good Educational Leadership

Gina M. Lawhorn

LU ID: 26045230

EDUC 645-B01

Dr. Bailey

Author Note

Gina M. Lawhorn

I have no known conflict of interest to disclose.

Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to

Email: [email protected]

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The Means of a Good Educational Leadership

Abstract

I believe that education is an ever-evolving process and it is the job of educational leaders

to grow among the new changes that are happening each year as well as keeping those informed

about changes that might happen as the years pass. There will be new strategies and research

studies that will come out that can better improve our curriculum, classroom management,

leadership, etc. One should never be complacent in education and should always be looking for

new ways to grow. During my leadership I will make sure that each student is in a safe and

welcoming learning environment. I will make sure that my staff would be constantly getting

professional development. Communication is key in being a leader and I will implement

communication with the students, staff, parents, and community on a regular basis. A good

educational leader simply looks for ways to grow their school in every aspect of the word.

Continuous improvement in not only academics, but the students social, emotional, and

behavioral status as well is an important aspect of being an educational leader.

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The Means of a Good Educational Leadership

Having a philosophy of leadership is a task that is always adjusting as you get more

experience as a leader. When you are first creating your philosophy, you want people to

understand why you want these outcomes and goals. You want people to look at your philosophy

and say this is what they believe in and this is what I am going to expect out of them. The

purpose of a philosophy of leadership is to communicate with others what type of leader you are

and what you feel is the most important. The goal of your philosophy is to have the community

and others see what is important to you. The goal is for others to see what you believe is of the

upmost importance and what you are going to focus on while in the position of a leader. I believe

that education is an ever-evolving process and it is the job of educational leaders to grow among

the new changes that are happening each year as well as keeping those informed about changes

that might happen as the years pass.

Philosophy of Educational Leadership

My philosophy of leadership is that as education is changing, we need to change with it.

That means that we may need to adjust our goals, curriculum, and standards. As an educational

leader, the first thing that I believe in is having effective teachers in the school. Duta et al. (2015)

says “An effective teacher can avoid devaluing messages, may make decisions to motivate the

students and can overcome the pitfalls of excessive authoritarianism and permissiveness” (Duta

et al.,2015). Having effective teachers can be vital in helping with situations, staying in control

of their classrooms, and being good role models for the students. Students also need to have an

effective learning environment. Students do not learn at their full potential if they do not feel safe

and welcomed. I whole heartedly believe that safety of my students is the number one priority.

There is also more and more diversity in the classrooms now and these children need the

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The Means of a Good Educational Leadership

resources to be successful. We need to be able to meet the needs of each student. Also, it should

be our goal to help our students grow academically, socially, mentally, and behaviorally. Students

should learn more than just academics in school, they should learn who they are and what they

want to be in life.

Leadership Practice

Now that I have talked about the why it is important to practice my philosophy, you need to

know how this is going to happen. Sometimes educational leaders can be so caught up in things

they want to do that they do not implement their strategies within their school. With my

philosophy leaders need to be actively implementing new strategies to help with having effective

leaders, an effective classroom environment, and meeting the needs of each student. For

strategies on effective teachers, teachers need to be able to have professional development.

Teachers need to stay in the loop of new strategies for learning they can incorporate in their

classroom. For an effective classroom environment, the student needs to feel safe and welcomed.

Leaders need to have a plan of action in place in case something was to happen, and our teachers

need to have a plan also. The classrooms need to be welcoming even with a technology-rich

environment. Technology can be useful in a classroom because technology uses technology uses

“Sociological methods (overt observation, questionnaires: interviewing, questioning), statistical

methods, comparison methods, content analysis, visual and systematic analysis have been

actively implemented” (Kirillov et al., 2016). Teachers can use technology to keep logs of

individual academic levels. “The inclusion of learners with a wide range of special needs has

become a major change in regular classrooms over the past 40 years” (Forlin & Chambers,

2017). Every student is different and unique in their own way. Diversity is growing more and

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The Means of a Good Educational Leadership

more prominent in the classroom as well as students with exceptionalities. Administrators are

pushing for full- inclusion in each grade and so is the school districts. Teachers should be

researching ways to include these students as much as they can. Students like to have that sense

of normalcy. It is important that teachers adapt to students in their classroom who have special

needs because they deserve the same opportunities as everyone else. As an educational leader, we

want our teachers to have the resources they need to meet these needs. If we give them the tools,

then they will do the work.

Relationships

The role of the staff is to be role models for their students. They should be actively seeking new

ways to teach content to their students. These students are with teachers eight hours of the day,

so, teachers are the ones they look up to. The role of the leader or administrator is to be a role

model for all. They are the voice of the whole school. When you are a leader you are the

representative to speak on their behalf. Be a leader who knows the needs of their school and the

people in it so you can advocate for them. Teachers and administrators bounce off one another.

They should give ideas back and forth and should have a very open and trusting relationship.

Your teachers are you eyes and ears. They know what the students need to be successful so let

them tell you. Leaders also need to have trusting relationships with the community and the

parents. Let people know how your school is doing and how they can help improve the school to

reach your goals.

Diversity

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The Means of a Good Educational Leadership

Diversity has become a major topic in education. Everyone learns differently and we are all

unique. We should strive to meet the needs of each of our students no matter their learning style.

As a leader we need to be equipped to have diversity in our school. Our teachers need to have

professional development on how they can reach these students with the highest potential. A

study from Sylvia Hurtado (2001) showed “diversity-related campus activities as exposure to

multicultural curricula and opportunities to study and interact with diverse peers affected student

development” (Hurtado, 2001). Having diversity opens other students’ eyes to different cultures

around the world and that they are people in this world who are not the same as them

Conclusion

In conclusion, as education is changing so does the philosophy. My core beliefs will

always stay the same, but as education changes so does my philosophy. Communication is the

biggest factor and I believe as a leader that you should always have a strong communication with

your students, staff, parents, and community. I will adjust as I see fit and adapt to new

curriculum, standards, and classes. Each class of students is different and what worked for some

might not work for others. I will be flexible and willing to make changes as need be. I need to

give my staff the resources they need to be up to date with new findings coming out and equip

them with the resources they need to reach the needs of every student. Education is changing all

the time and I will be that leader that researches, adapts, and make necessary changes so that my

school can be at its best potential.

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The Means of a Good Educational Leadership

References

Duta, N., Tomoaica, E., & Panisoara, G. (2015). Desirable characteristics defining to describe an

effective teacher. Procedia – Social and Behavioral Sciences, 197, 1223-1229.

Forlin, C., & Chambers, D. (2017). Catering for diversity: Including learners with different abilities and

needs in regular classrooms. Education in the Asia-Pacific Region: Issues, Concerns and Prospects,

555-571.

Hurtado, S. (2001). Linking Diversity and Educational Purpose: How Diversity Affects the

Classroom Environment and Student Development.

Kirillov, A., Vinichenko, M., Melnichuk, A., Melnichuk, Y., & Vinogradova, M. (2016). Improvement in

the Learning Environment through Gamification of the Educational Process.

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